When a friend applies to seminary school, a pastoral job or wants to work as a youth leader, he may be required to submit a Christian character reference to give his new colleagues a bit of perspective into his spiritual life. A general Christian character reference should offer the employer or college a chance to understand your friend's personal beliefs and to see if his life choices match his religious understanding.

Ask your friend if there is anything she wants you to specifically include in the letter. The person who reads the letter may have a specific attribute in mind, and your friend can ask you to focus on that. For example, if your friend applies for a position as a church secretary, she may ask you to discuss not only her past work as a secretary, but how loyal and dedicated she is when it comes to attending church and getting to know people.

Greet the reader of your letter by name if possible. If you do not know who the letter is for, you may simply write "To whom it may concern."

State how long you have known the person in question. You may also want to include a bit of information about how you met. For example, you could say "Kristin and I met in youth group while we were teenagers. We've been close friends for about five years."

Explain why you think your friend is perfect for the position in question. Use specific examples to illustrate your friend's effectiveness for the project, school or job at hand. If your friend wants to apply to seminary school, for example, talk about how he has led Bible studies at church or share a cute story of how he used to practice giving sermons to his stuffed animals.

Avoid negativity in your note. The goal of a Christian character reference letter is to support your friend. While you should not lie or embellish your letter, try not to bring up issues that would detract from your friend's chances of getting the position.

Thank the reader for her time and sign your name. Include a phone number or email address so you can be contacted if necessary.

Related Articles